October 2020

Welcome to October!  The past few months have been challenging for us all, and we are trying to do what we can to keep the Woodlands Art League viable and functioning.  Due to the restrictions on public meetings, we cannot do what is one of the biggest joys of being a WAL member – see each other’s art. 

We do encourage everyone to visit our on-line sites like the WAL Website or our Facebook group where many of our members do post their work or post links to videos and other art related, and hopefully, inspirational sites.  We are trying to increase our on-line presence and hope to have more content available soon. 

The biggest news is that the Woodlands Art League is planning a SHOW!  We are planning a Membership Drive and Art Show on November 6^th and 7^th.  This is going to be a quickly organized event, so we are reaching out to find volunteers who may be able to help.  To be in the show, you must be a current WAL member and able to work a shift (or find a substitute for yourself who can work) during that weekend.  We are aware of COVID problems, and we will do our best to mitigate the risk.  Many of our members do fall into one or more of the significant risk categories, and we will be mindful of this.  But, we feel that we can’t pass up this opportunity to put WAL back out there.

Registration for the show hasn’t started yet but will be open soon.  Look for an email from WAL with details that will be coming.  This is very quick, we know, and many of our members may not have anything to put in a show.  There are other ways to support the show, and any help will be appreciated.

Now, for a business report.  Currently, the Woodlands Art League has 123 active members, with some memberships pending renewal.  Our finances are mostly stable as our expenses are limited, but we are not bringing in any significant income other than memberships.  If you are a member, THANK YOU!  And, if you need to renew or join, now is a great time to do it.

Why join, especially when we are so limited in activities?  Well, sometimes opportunities happen, and we can be a part of them.  For example, the Inspiration Ranch, a local program featuring equine therapy for folks, recently had an art show and sale.  Members of WAL provided many pieces of art and helped raise over $1600 to help with their mission.  Congratulations to our member-artists who stepped up to help them out!

Another example is our own efforts to provide artists with events they can participate in.  We are planning “paint outs” in the area for our artists who want to do some plein aire work. We hope to offer classes and workshops when meetings are allowed again.  Various groups can be active, like our Portrait Group, a Still Life Group, or whatever-you-like.  One of the best things we can do is just to provide connections between our artist/members with each other.  We just need you and your ideas to help us decide what to do!  Being a member is helping us move forward and plan for our future.

I’m going to end this here but first, let me say thanks for your support of the Woodlands Art League.  You mean a great deal to the encouragement and presence of Art in The Woodlands area.  Together, we can make it even better.

Dave Malin, President for the WAL Board